Drilling into the Earth's surface is a major aspect of acquiring and extracting resources such as natural gas and oil. An integral piece of machinery in the process of resource acquisition and extraction is the drilling rig. Drilling rigs are commonly large, permanent structures that are constructed on-site at drilling locations. These large pieces of machinery house the components that perform a variety of functions such as penetrating the Earth's crust to gain access to deep underground resources. A drill bit is connected to a rotary table and lowered into the ground to form a well bore. The drill bit and assembly are supported by a hoist. As drilling is often conducted deep under the Earth's surface, additional piping must be incorporated onto the drill in order to maintain the attachment between the drill bit and the rotary table. Additionally, drilling into the ground produces a large amount of debris that accumulates in the well bore. In order to remove the debris and keep the drill bit clean, drilling fluid or “mud” is pumped into the well bore through the piping. The drilling mud performs other functions such as sealing any fractures within the well bore as well as keeping the drill bit cool. Because of the resources and manpower required to construct permanent drilling rigs on-site at drilling locations, mobile drilling rigs are often mounted on trucks and trailers. These mobile drilling rigs generally encompass mounted derricks that are lowered during transport and raised after arrival at the drill site.
The present invention is a fully functional remote controlled on shore mobile drilling rig. The present invention comprises a remote controlled truck, a semi-trailer, and a derrick. The scaled model derrick is mounted to the semi-trailer. As with its full sized counterpart, the model derrick may be lowered and raised as necessary. In its preferred embodiment, the present invention is capable of performing the same functions as those of a full sized conventional drilling rig. The present invention is capable of hoisting and supporting a drill bit assembly as well as piping for drilled well bores. The drill bit is rotated by means of a rotary table and is capable of creating well bores in the ground. The hoisting assembly comprises drill line that is threaded through a pulley system and operated by motorized draw-works. The draw-works raises and lowers a traveling block. The traveling block, in conjunction with the pulley system and drill line, is capable of lifting and supporting large amounts of weight. Various embodiments of the present invention may incorporate the ability to pump drilling mud into bore wells. In these embodiments of the present invention, additional drilling mud equipment such as a mud tank and mud pump as well as additional piping, hosing, or tubing are featured. Electrical and mechanical components required to operate the drilling rig are located on or within the semi-trailer of the present invention.
The functions of the drilling rig are managed by a user operated remote control. In addition to the aforementioned drilling, lifting, and pumping capabilities of the drilling rig, the truck to which the semi-trailer and derrick are attached may be driven and navigated by means of remote control. The truck is fully functional as well with features such as headlights, vehicle horn, and brakes operable via remote control. The object of the present invention is to provide users with a fully functional, scaled model of a mobile drilling rig. The present invention has many applications that range from recreational enjoyment to rig operator basic training and familiarization with the features of full sized conventional drilling rigs. Because the present invention is a fully functional scaled model of a full sized conventional drilling rig, it is noted that various modifications may be required to the design and operation mechanisms of the scaled model. This is primarily due to the impracticality of perfectly replicating various components of full sized drilling rigs. However, any alterations made to the scaled model do not interfere with the ability of the present invention to function in the same manner as its full sized counterpart.